¹ If the word referred to the Israelites it should be followed by 'îsh (cf. 7:6,16,19; 8:4); E. Bertheau, Das Buch der Richter und Ruth, 2nd ed., KEHAT 6 (Leipzig: Hirzel, 1883), 149.

² Cf. K. F. R. Budde, Das Buch der Richter, KHCAT 7 (Freiburg i. Br. [et al.]: J. C. B. Mohr [Paul Siebeck], 1897), 60: “One needs two hands to carry a burning torch under a jar, so that one has no hand left to carry the trumpet, and similarly vice versa. Likewise, one can not blow the trumpet and shout the battle cry at the same time (v. 18-20). This overcrowding characterises the entire piece and creates the worst confusion in it” (translation mine). — For an overview of different attempts to interpret the obvious overcrowding in these verses, see R. M. Massot, “Gideon and the Deliverance of Israel: A Literary and Theological Analysis of the Gideon Narrative in Judges 6-8” (PhD dissertation, University of Cambridge, 1994; Microfilm), 94-95.

³ J. Wellhausen, Prolegomena to the History of Ancient Israel, trans. Black and Menzies (New York, N.Y.: Meridan, 1957), 244.

⁴ W. Richter, Traditionsgeschichtliche Untersuchungen zum Richterbuch, BBB 18 (Bonn: Peter Hanstein, 1963), 195, observed that no weapon is mentioned in the description of Gideon's troops (7:16-21); similarly, J. Gray, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, New Century Bible Commentary (Basingstoke: Marshall Morgan & Scott, 1986), 293, noticed that the only weapon mentioned in the narrative is the sword of the Midianites.

⁵ Similarly, Richter, Untersuchungen, 170-172, in his argumentation against Budde (see n. 2).

⁶ Similarly, L. R. Klein, The Triumph of Irony in the Book of Judges, JSOT.S 68, BaL 14 (Sheffield: Almond, 1988), 57.

⁷ R. G. Boling, Judges: Introduction, Translation and Commentary, AB 6A (New York, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1975), 147.

⁸ Accepting the Kerê (wâyyânûsû); the Ketîb (wâyyânîsû) would have the Israelites cause the Midianites to flee.

⁹ H. W. Hertzberg, Die Bücher Josua, Richter, Ruth, ATD 9 (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1953; reprint [= 6th ed.], Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1985), 196.

¹⁰ So far every attempt to locate most of these localities has failed; M. Garsiel, Biblical Names: A Literary Study of Midrashic Derivations and Puns, trans. Phyllis Hackett (Ramat Gan: Bar-Ilan University Press, 1991): 312, assumed hints at Num 25:1 and Josh 3:16.

¹¹ G. L. Studer, Das Buch der Richter: Grammatisch und historisch erklært, 2nd ed. (Bern [et al.]: Dalp, 1842), 207, referred to 2 Kgs 2:13 as a parallel; similarly, HALOT, s.v. ‘sâfâh’.